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PHILADELPHIA - The University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team is ready to get going with the 2013 season. The Quakers kick things off this weekend with a pair of home matches, hosting Saint Peter's on Friday night and Mount St. Mary's on Sunday. Both games are the first half of a women's/men's doubleheader, and all matches will be played at Penn Park due to the continuing renovation at Rhodes Field.

Making HistoryThis weekend’s matches are historic for a couple of reasons. It not only marks the first time the Penn women’s soccer team has played at Penn Park, but the Sept. 6 start is the latest since the 2003 season.

First Time For EverythingSaint Peter's and Mount St. Mary's share a common fact: neither has ever played Penn in women’s soccer.

About SPCThe Peacocks (0-2-0) are under first-year head coach Rob Bielan. They lost to Wagner on August 23 to start the season, 3-1, and then fell to NJIT last weekend, 3-2. Nicole Tafrow has a goal and an assist so far this season, while Ashley Drozd and Greta Vogel have also scored. At the other end, Molly O’Hanlon has been in the goal; she has a 3.00 GAA and six saves.

About MSMThe Mount (1-3-0) opened the season with a 1-0 win at UMBC; since then, they have lost to Bucknell (2-0), Temple (1-0) and Towson (4-1). Emma Blair had the goal in the win over UMBC, while Alicia Mirando scored in the loss to Towson on a penalty kick. In goal, Rachel Bourne and Vicky Cocozza have both played 45 minutes in each match. Bourne holds a 1.50 goals against average and a .769 save percentage, while Cocozza -- who started vs. Temple and made nine first-half saves -- has a 2.00 GAA and a .789 save percentage.

About Penn*Penn is 23-8-2 overall in the last two seasons, and 27-9-4 over its last 40 matches dating back to the 2010 season. In those 40 matches, Penn has allowed just 26 goals.

*Penn returns two women who earned All-Ivy honors last year, seniors Kerry Scalora (first-team forward) and Brianna Rano (second-team defender). Scalora was also the 2010 Ivy League and ECAC Rookie of the Year. Senior Kathryn Barth was second-team All-Ivy and second-team NSCAA all-region two years ago, as a sophomore.

*Scalora led Penn in scoring last year, tallying four goals and three assists for 11 points. Two other returning players, Barth and Erin Mikolai, had three goals apiece.

*In addition to Mikolai, another sophomore to keep an eye on up front is Elissa Berdini. She had two goals and two assists last season.